A Greensboro man has been convicted in federal court of fraud connected to the COVID-19 outbreak.

As part of his plea, 34-year-old Brandon Lewis admitted he set up a bogus relief fund promising payouts of up to $15,000 in exchange for a so-called reservation fee of about $1,000.

He also acknowledged that he set up another fund promising payouts of $5,000 — none of which were made — that the U.S. Justice Department says defrauded small business owners of more than $100,0000.

When stay-at-home orders went into effect, federal officials say Lewis set up a website selling hand sanitizers, wipes, and other items that were hard to find at the time. He received orders totaling more than $400,000 but never delivered the items.

Lewis pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud and one count of making a false statement to the Small Business Administration.

He is scheduled to be sentenced in November.

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